Stacey case awaits police disclosure

Ray Stacey made a quick appearance in provincial court via videolink from prison Wednesday morning, and — as they vowed last week — family members of a man killed in 2015 were there, too. Stacey, 26, was arrested just over a week ago and charged with attempting to murder a woman in Paradise.

He is also charged with assault, aggravated assault and forcible confinement of the same woman.

As well, Stacey has been charged with assaulting another woman and stealing her vehicle; forcible confinement of a third woman; stealing the car of a fourth woman; and five breaches of previous court orders. Those orders include that he not drive a vehicle and that he have no contact with the woman he is accused of trying to murder.

Stacey has other matters before the court: he’ll be back June 6 on charges of breaking into a Forsey Place home on April 27, stealing a woman’s vehicle and breaching a court order to keep the peace, an order given to him three weeks previously.

On March 29 of this year, Stacey was charged with assaulting the same woman he allegedly tried to kill. The charge was later withdrawn. Wednesday morning, Stacey’s case was postponed until June 1, to wait for more disclosure from police.

Two years ago, Stacey was acquitted by a jury of seconddegree murder in the stabbing death of Clifford Comerford, 41. The pair were working as chicken catchers and were in a van that was set to take them to work in Harbour Grace for a night shift in January 2015 when Comerford was killed.

Comerford’s family has not accepted the not guilty verdict, and told members of the media last week they’d attend as many of Stacey’s unrelated court appearances as possible, in support of the female victim.

They quietly left the courtroom Wednesday after Stacey’s appearance concluded. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has said officers arrived at a Paradise home at 1 p.m. May 5 in response to a 911 call, and found a woman with multiple injuries.

She was taken to hospital. Police then received a call from staff at a Topsail Road business reporting a suspicious male — alleged to be Stacey — in the area.

He ran to the parking lot of Lawton’s Drugs and tried to carjack a vehicle with a woman inside. When it crashed into a pole, he ran and tried to carjack another vehicle in the nearby Irving parking lot.

There was a woman in that vehicle, too.

Witnesses say he was unable to start the vehicle, and ran. He was caught by police shortly thereafter. non-life-threatening